Dissatisfaction is growing at Leicester City after a fifth match without victory for Claude Puel's side.

Here, James Sharpe analyses five of the key talking points from Saturday's 2-0 defeat to West Ham and the fan discontent that accompanied the game.

Chairman's message falls on deaf ears

On Friday, Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha urged the whole club to “stand together, proudly – players, staff and supporters” for the last three games.

By Saturday evening, those players and staff were performing a lap of appreciation in front of just a handful of fans who had stayed behind after the defeat to West Ham.

Some fans claimed they were unaware of the plans for the lap, especially with another home game left to come against Arsenal on Wednesday. However, plenty of the crowd had left before the end of the game, those that were remaining booed at full-time, and some of those who stayed behind for the lap of appreciation took this opportunity to make their frustrations with manager Claude Puel known to the owners.

Much of this column and frequent debates with fans on social media has been dedicated to arguing that Puel is a manager who has a long-term plan to bring stability to a team that needs a change in direction.

But even if Puel is that man, the fans have turned. There were chants of ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’, from some sections following Puel’s double substitution. There’s not been such a visible or audible show of revolt since supporters started punching each other at Old Trafford over Nigel Pearson.

The atmosphere was toxic. Once that happens, however plausible or necessary the long-term vision, it is difficult to come back from that.

Does Keown have a point?

When the footage of the lap of appreciation was shown on Match of the Day, former City and Arsenal defender Martin Keown leaned forward . “Short memories, Gary, haven’t they?”

The patronising tone will not have helped matters, but you can imagine how well that sentiment went down with already disgruntled City supporters. Cue another social media backlash.

But is Keown talking like a man who has not had to sit through the procession of recent poor performances, or does he have a point?

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Stoke were condemned to relegation on Saturday, almost 10 years to the day that they celebrated promotion to the Premier League on the same day that City were sent down to League One.

When Puel came in, City had been in the relegation zone. Leicester have been safe since early March and are likely to record the club’s second-highest finish since 2000.

What are the expectation levels now? Why is there such disdain?

Is it the sense of missed opportunity: two cup quarter-finals and a chance for seventh and European football? Is it more than that: the style of play under Puel, and concerns of how it will affect the future?

An empty King Power Stadium watches the Leicester City players' lap of appreciation (Image: James Sharpe)

Is it that fans are unused to seeing their side on the beach, so used are they to battling for titles, promotion or against relegation?

Is it that expectation level has not necessarily grown with the title win but with level of expenditure and wages? City boast the seventh-highest wage bill in the Premier League.

Or is it short memories after all?

Injuries impinging on City's form

In the interest of balance, there are mitigating factors for Puel for the defeat.

He went into the game with nine of his first team on the sidelines : he was without his first-choice goalkeeper; his first-choice central midfielder; his first, second and third-choice right-back.

Oh, and his first-choice left-back in Ben Chilwell. Many fans had been calling for him to be dropped anyway, but had it been him who slipped over at the back post for West Ham’s first goal, the mob would have been out again.

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Many also criticised his decision to move Maguire into midfield when Vicente Iborra, who had somehow started the game having just recovered from a ‘season-ending’ injury, came off at half-time.

Maguire has played there before, is one of City’s best passers of the ball, and is clearly a more experienced option than bringing on a youngster like Harvey Barnes, while Aleksandar Dragovic could fit in at centre-back. The only reason Dragovic did not start at right-back was because he had suffered from food poisoning the day before the game.

Birch is Leicester's shining light

Among all the negativity that surrounded the afternoon on Saturday, there was one positive aspect of the day that should never be lost in the mire.

Before kick-off, Alan Birchenall embarked on his 38th annual run for the Foxes Foundation, and was joined by players, fund-raisers and even the club’s vice-chairman.

This year, all the money raised from the day is going to the Leicester Children’s Holiday Centre – a charity that has been taking underprivileged children from the county on free holidays for the past 120 years.

Since he started his efforts in the early 80s, Birch has helped raise well over £1million for great, local causes. And despite suffering a heart attack last year, that has not stopped him from his relentless desire to raise money for those people in this county who are most in need.